For the first time in 29 starts, Jo-Jo Reyes had cause for celebration. Jesse Johnston/AP

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Reyes’ streak ties Matt Keough and Cliff Curtis for the longest in major league history. Elias also points out that Keough (1979) and Curtis (1911) also won their next start after ending their streaks.

In a 5-0 victory at Oakland on Monday, Colon went the distance. Making his first start since turnin 38, Colon posted his first shutout since 2006 – a year in which he went 1-5. Elias notes that during the expansion era, the only other pitchers to complete a start at 38 or older after not doing so at 34, 35, 36, or 37 were Tim Wakefield and John Smoltz. ESPN.com did a search on baseball-reference.com and determined there had been 277 nine-inning shutouts since Colon’s most recent one. Only two had been thrown by Yankees: Chien-Ming Wang (2007) and CC Sabathia (2009).

Phillies ace Roy Halladay labored on Monday, allowing three homers and seven other hits, but he figured out a way to win. (John Smallwood, Philadelphia Daily News)

Then again, Halladay was pitching against the Nationals. Halladay has an 11-game winning streak against the Nationals. Elias notes that the only pitcher ever to post a longer streak against the Nationals or their predecessors, the Expos, was Tom Glavine (13 from 1993-1999). Halladay also has won his last 10 decisions against the Orioles. According to Elias, only two other active pitchers have a current double-digit winning streak against any opponent: Boston’s Jon Lester (14 against the Orioles) and Atlanta’s Derek Lowe (10 against the Pirates).

Bartolo Colon (right) threw his first shutout since 2006, lowering his ERA to 3.26. Ben Margot/AP

Some strength up the middle powered the Rangers to an 11-5 victory Monday against the Rays. (Jeff Wilson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Mike Napoli, Michael Young Elvis Andrus and Endy Chavez all had three-hit games.
According to Elias, it was the first time in Rangers history that the team’s starting catcher, second baseman, shortstop, and center fielder all had three or more hits in the same nine-inning game. The last team to do that was the Rockies in August 2007 (Yorvit Torrealba, Kaz Matsui, Troy Tulowitzki and Ryan Spilborghs).

Michael G. Kovacevich has figured out a way to play an entire baseball season without a rainout, assuming he avoids spilling a diet pop on his infield. The 58-year-old historian and extreme baseball fan is near completion of the 2008 Major League Baseball season, playing every game for all 30 teams with a tabletop game called APBA. That adds up to more than 2,400 games, which take about 20 minutes each. Living alone in his efficiency apartment in West Akron, Kovacevich has spent more than two years rolling dice, referring to cards representing each player, scoring games and doing statistics for the project.
(Dave Scott, Akron Beacon Journal)